The theses present theoretical generalization and a new approach to the problem which presupposes application of "metatext" notion to a work of verbal art. The essence of the problem lies in lack of integral clearly structured concept of applying notions with "meta"-component towards a verbal literary text.In the theses the above-mentioned scientific problem is solved in the following way: 1. The historiography section of the first chapter sums up the history of application of notions with "meta"-component towards a verbal text by theoreticians of structuralism, intertextuality and postmodernism, which results in the semantic elucidation of the notions used. 2. Viewing the text as an object of virtual reality which appears at the moment the recipient apprehends the original verbal literary text, the author of the theses suggests her own concept of metatext. 3. Defining the research methodology and techniques, the author wants to emphasize that the subject is verbal literary text as an utterance whil e aesthetics, semiotics and linguistics are considered mutually complementary branches of literary studies. The "metatext" concept suggested in the theses is based on synthesis of several methodologies, namely, M.M.Bakhtin's scientific works and achievements of his pupils who gave a creative impulse to his ideas - structural-semiotic aesthetics and hermeneutics. To define the semantics of "metatext" notion the author of the theses makes also use of O.O.Potebnya's views on the nature of poetic word and work of art, as well as V.I.Tyupa's idea about infratext. 4. The essence of the concept suggested here is the author's understanding of metatext as a variant of aesthetic object. The aesthetic object is invariant both for the writer's original work manifested in the symbolic material of a verbal literary text, and for the recipient's work (metatext) which appears during decoding (deciphering) the original text in the situation of "author - recipient" dialogue through the text. Actually, this dialogue becomes po ssible thanks to existence of the aesthetic object which is primary as compared to all eventual versions, each of them throwing light on a new facet of the aesthetic object. The aesthetic object "grows at the work's boundaries by means of overcoming its material-substantial definiteness" (M.M.Bakhtin), in the author's opinion, only on condition that the recipient creates his/her own version of the original work while apprehending a piece of art. This reception is the genuine form of the work's existence, that is, the original work, being a variant of the aesthetic object, is authentically present at the moment of reading since the literary text manifesting it, is read not in order to learn something about the piece, but to make clear what is the piece itself, - "the fact of ontological importance" (F.Miko). 5. Analysis of "The History of Russes" makes it possible to conclude that apart from intertextuality, intratextuality also serves as reception mechanism for a verbal literary text. 6. Thus, the author co ncludes that metatext is a virtual text produced by the recipient during his/her dialogue with the writer by means of verbal literary text. While creating the virtual text new meanings are being born so that the meaning of the text created in the reception process will exceed the resulting sum of meanings of the literary text's components. 7. In analytical part of the theses "The History of Russes", a text of Old Ukrainian literature, is approached as a verbal literary text. Studying it as a metatext, the author of the theses treats "The History of Russes" precisely as a variant of the aesthetic object. In the research "The History of Russes" is interpreted and described concerning the notions defined in the 1st chapter: text, metanarration, metatext. Its dominant code is also stated. 8. Metalinguistic textual analysis of "The History of Russes" proves that in the situation of inter- and intratextual dialogue carried out at several levels between the recipient and the author through the text, as well as bet ween textual and metatextual parts of "The History of Russes" there appears a virtual text, which meaning is not equal to the sum of the literary text components' meanings. 9. Metalinguistic analysis which presupposes investigation of dialogue relationship within the verbal literary text as an integral complete utterance, proves that "The History of Russes" is an integral work of art.The theses show that investigation of metalinguistics as a branch of literary studies may be promising. The suggested interpretation of "metatext" notion is an effective metalinguistic category. The suggested definition of "metatext" notion stems from the synthesis of 3 methodologies: receptive aesthetics, structuralism and hermeneutics, metalinguistics being a part of the latter. The notions of "metanarration", "dominant code", "metatext" focus achievements reached in the field of literary and culture studies, which proves fruitfulness of synthetic research carried out on the border of several disciplines. The analytical part o f the theses opens up good prospects for the suggested methodology of verbal literary texts' studies, since it witnesses its effectiveness with an ancient literary verbal text which artistic merits were proved due to the methodology described above.
